Data Visualization & Interactive Design
Oct 2024 - Nov 2025
Individual Work
Blowing Dandelions
Aim to eliminate public fear and unnecessary sympathy toward obstructive sleep apnea.
OVERVIEW
I created an immersive exhibition designed to challenge the public's fear of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and reduce unnecessary sympathy.
By transforming the uncomfortable experience of breathing difficulties into a light-hearted moment of blowing dandelions, we invite the audience to replace fear with empathy, reimagining OSA not as something to be pitied, but as a manageable condition that can be understood.
DESIGN CONCEPT
How can we alleviate the public's fear and unnecessary sympathy toward obstructive sleep apnea?
FEAR EMPATHYBy presenting OSA in a way that is both understandable and engaging, we aim to shift the narrative from fear to empathy, encouraging a deeper understanding of the condition.
MATERIAL-
CPAP Mask: We use the mask, which is the most common treatment for OSA, as an interactive device to allow the audience to experience the sensation of breathing difficulties firsthand.
- Sound Sensor: We use a sound sensor to indirectly capture breathing data.
CONTENTS
1. INSPIRATION
(Click to jump to the corresponding content.)
2. THE PREVALENCE OF OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA (OSA)
(Click to jump to the corresponding content.)
3. LITERATURE REVIEW ON OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA (OSA)
(Click to jump to the corresponding research content.)
4. RESEARCH ON WHY OSA EVOKES FEAR AND SYMPATHY
(Click to jump to the corresponding research content.)
5. DESIGN CONCEPT & EXHIBITION LAYOUT
(Click to jump to the corresponding content.)
- What if we design...
- Sketch
6. THE SIMULATION OF AIRWAY OBSTRUCTION
(Click to jump to the corresponding content.)
7. TECHNICAL DESIGN
(Click to jump to the corresponding content.)
8. DATA VISUALIZATION
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9. REFERENCES
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1. INSPIRATION
Exaggerated Headline:
Shocking! Olympic Champion Forced to Use
CPAP Machine for Life at Just 40!
Purpose of Media: ClickbaitMisleading the audience to attract more attention by exploiting their lack of knowledge.
Public Attitude:- Shocked,
Misbelief
- Fear, Alarming
- Sympathy
CONCLUSION:We find that in China, the general public often shows fear and mispaced sympathy toward obstructive sleep apnea.
QUESTION:Is the rarity of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) leads to misplaced fear and sympathy in the public?
2. THE PREVALENCE OF OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA (OSA)
Nearly 1 billion adults [1] around the world are estimated to have obstructive sleep apnea, with 450 million estimated to have moderate to severe symptoms.
No.1 ChinaAHI≥5 events/h: 176 million
AHI≥15 events/h: 66 million
No.2 USAAHI≥5 events/h: 54 million
AHI≥15 events/h: 24 million
No.3
IndiaAHI≥5 events/h: 52 million
AHI≥15 events/h: 29 million
No.4 BrazilAHI≥5 events/h: 49 million
AHI≥15 events/h: 25 million
No.5 PakistanAHI≥5 events/h: 42 million
AHI≥15 events/h: 17 million
The prevalence of OSA in China
OSA has the highest prevalence and severity among Chinese adults.
The prevalence of OSA in the Chinese population, aged between 30 and 69, was about 23.6% in 2019. [2]
176 million Chinese adults have mild to moderate symptoms, accounting for more than 1/6 of the 936 million people with OSA worldwide.
*Reference:
Berry, R. B., Budhiraja, R., Gottlieb, D. J., Gozal, D., Iber, C., Kapur, V. K., Marcus, C. L., Mehra, R., Parthasarathy, S., Quan, S. F., Redline, S., Strohl, K. P., Ward, S. L. D., & Tangredi, M. M. (2012). Rules for scoring respiratory events in sleep: Update of the 2007 AASM manual for the scoring of sleep and associated events. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 8(5), 587–600. https://doi.org/10.5664/jcsm.2172
CONCLUSION:
OSA is severe in China and should be taken seriously, yet the public tends to avoid it. Further research is needed to explore the reasons and eliminate these misconceptions.
3. LITERATURE REVIEW ON OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA (OSA)
What is OSA?
A potentially serious sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts due to airway obstruction.
Index: Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI)
We use AHI to measure the number of hypopnea events that occur per hour of sleep.
What Causes OSA?
We classify the causes of OSA into congenital and acquired factors, which narrow the airway through different pathological mechanisms, increase pressure, and trigger OSA. [3]
Main Symptoms of OSA
Obstructive sleep apnea not only causes sleep issues that lower an individual's quality of life, but is also linked to serious comorbidities, exacerbating health risks.
Prevalence of Sleep Symptoms (%) [4]
*Reference:
Academy of Sleep Medicine. (2016). Hidden health crisis costing America billions: Underdiagnosing and undertreating obstructive sleep apnea draining healthcare system. American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Retrieved from https://aasm.org/resources/pdf/sleep-apnea-economic-crisis.
Prevalence of Comorbities (%)
Abbreviations: DM, Diabetes Mellitus; GERD, Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease; N, number of individuals. [5]
*Reference: Pinto, J. A., Ribeiro, D. K., Cavallini, A. F., Duarte, C., & Freitas, G. S. (2016). Comorbidities Associated with Obstructive Sleep Apnea: a Retrospective Study. International archives of otorhinolaryngology, 20(2), 145–150. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0036-1579546
OSA Symptom and Mortality MatrixI created the OSA Symptom and Mortality Matrix, inspired by the Eisenhower Matrix, to reveal the relationship between mortality rates and OSA symptoms.
4. RESEARCH ON WHY OSA EVOKES FEAR AND SYMPATHY
OSA is often undiagnosed
Unawareness of Symptoms
In a study [6] of 12 people, 83% of patients could not report first-hand symptoms, but relied on observations from spouses, children, or friends.
Comorbities & Medical Bias
Doctors often overlook OSA symptoms due to comorbidities, leading to misdiagnosis.
Doctors often diagnose female OSA patients with depression or anxiety instead of identifying the cause of their mental health issues. [7]Inaccessible Diagnostic Methods
Existing OSA diagnostic methods are either too expensive or inaccessible.
Public misconcpetions about CPAP machine
CPAP is used for managing severe symptoms
People often mistake CPAP machines for ventilators, making them seem for severe conditions.
A CPAP machine is used for OSA treatment, while a mechanical ventilator is used for patients with severe respiratory failure who require assisted breathing in intensive care settings.
CPAP can be uncomfortable and inconvenient
People have a stereotype that the CPAP machine is bulky and uncomfortable, but in reality, it can be portable, and designers strive to create diverse mask designs to enhance comfort.
5. DESIGN CONCEPT & EXHIBITION LAYOUT
Design idea:What if we create an interaction exhibition to
help the public overcome fear and unnecessary sympathy about obstructive sleep apnea
?
Exhibition layout:
Introduction Area
Mask pickup zone
Experience area
6. THE SIMULATION OF AIRWAY OBSTRUCTION
Why & How
Why I design for discomfort?
Invisible Visible
I aim to unveil the true experience of sleep apnea, as we are rarely aware of our own sleep patterns.
Fear Empathy By simulating
OSA's
breathing difficulties through a lighthearted breath visualization—blowing dandelions—we invite the audience to shift from fear to empathy.
How
We combined the structures of a CPAP mask and a training mask, increasing material density and reducing pore size to enhance breathing resistance.
3D modeling of interactive mask
7. TECHNICAL DESIGN
Hardware
- Sound Sensor:Captures breathing data indirectly by detecting sound variations.
- ESP 32 Board:
Processes the sound sensor's data and transmits it to the computer for analysis.
- Computer:
Powers the ESP32 board and receives transmitted data for processing and visualization.
Coding
Serial Plotter
Why use triangleValue to prcocess sound data?
-
Reduce single-point noise:By accumulating multiple measurements, I minimized the impact of anomalous noise on the overall result.
- Enhance beathe continuity:I accumulated the sample values to show that breathing is a continuous process rather than an instantaneous change, making the data visualization smoother.
- Reduce false trigger:triangleValue is only updated when the valid sample count exceeds runMax, preventing a single error
from abruptly changing the data visualization effect.
8. DATA VISUALIZATION
9. REFERENCES
[1]
Benjafield, A. V., Ayas, N. T., Eastwood, P. R., Heinzer, R., Ip, M. S. M., Morrell, M. J., Nunez, C. M., Patel, S. R., Penzel, T., Pépin, J. L., Peppard, P. E., Sinha, S., Tufik, S., Valentine, K., & Malhotra, A. (2019). Estimation of the global prevalence and burden of obstructive sleep apnoea: a literature-based analysis. The Lancet. Respiratory medicine, 7(8), 687–698. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2213-2600(19)30198-5
[2]
Berry, R. B., Budhiraja, R., Gottlieb, D. J., Gozal, D., Iber, C., Kapur, V. K., Marcus, C. L., Mehra, R., Parthasarathy, S., Quan, S. F., Redline, S., Strohl, K. P., Ward, S. L. D., & Tangredi, M. M. (2012). Rules for scoring respiratory events in sleep: Update of the 2007 AASM manual for the scoring of sleep and associated events. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 8(5), 587–600. https://doi.org/10.5664/jcsm.2172
[3] Aghoutan, H., Alami, S., Diouny, S., & Bourzgui, F. (2015). Orthodontic Considerations in Obstructive Sleep Apnea — State of the Art. InTech. doi: 10.5772/59086
[4]
Academy of Sleep Medicine. (2016). Hidden health crisis costing America billions: Underdiagnosing and undertreating obstructive sleep apnea draining healthcare system. American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Retrieved from https://aasm.org/resources/pdf/sleep-apnea-economic-crisis.
[5]
Henry, D., & Rosenthal, L. (2013). "Listening for his breath:" the significance of gender and partner reporting on the diagnosis, management, and treatment of obstructive sleep apnea. Social science & medicine (1982), 79, 48–56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2012.05.021
[6] Pinto, J. A., Ribeiro, D. K., Cavallini, A. F., Duarte, C., & Freitas, G. S. (2016). Comorbidities Associated with Obstructive Sleep Apnea: a Retrospective Study. International archives of otorhinolaryngology, 20(2), 145–150. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0036-1579546